TRAVEL GOLF GUY
Golf destination test center: The Louisiana Audubon Golf Trail
NEW ORLEANS (May 10, 2004) -- If you can get past the music, the food, the fishing and the hunting, there's golf in this here bayou. Evidentially, good times aren't the only thing rolling in the other "L-A." From Sha-reev-paut to Nawlens, putts are rolling fast and firm along the greens of the Audubon Golf Trail.
The AGT is a collection of nine dogged golf outposts that span the entirety of the Bayou State. The facilities are connected by a series of highways and byways riddled with things to see, do and eat along the way. As for the snazzy title: the Trail gets its name from artist John James Audubon, vaunted painter of birds and all things natural and wild.
By sheer coincidence, each track on the AGT must also be in good standing with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary - vaunted protector of birds and all things natural and wild (those of you searching for a place to drive governor-free golf carts at break-neck speeds, wrong Audubon.)
The buzz along the Trail these days is about the AGT's two newest members: Carter Plantation, designed by local boy made PGA Tour player David Toms, and the freshly minted Tournament Players Club of Louisiana, from the wonderfully warped mind of Pete Dye. Both Carter and the TPC held grand openings within the past three weeks, and the TGG test drivers weren't far behind.
So without further adeaux, the Travel Golf Guy golf destination test drive kicks it into overdrive in the Big Easy. Last time out on the test course (Gulf Shores, Ala.) we gave you the blow-by-blow. This time around we shift gears and rank our top AGT experiences.
5.
OakWing Golf Club -- OakWing Golf Club is located in
Alexandria in the heart of the woebegone England Air Force Base.
It's a people and price golf course, to be sure. As in, the people
treat you like family and the price is always right. These folks
have football and gumbo running through their veins, so what else
would you expect?
If you're looking for scented towels and flashy bag tags, you've landed on the wrong part of the Audubon Golf Trail. OakWing has a muni feel to it, what with high school golfers out walking the links and greasy burgers frying up in the clubhouse. Eighteen holes with a cart runs just under $40 on the weekends and under $30 on weekdays. Twilight rates are available and walking is not only permitted, it's encouraged.
4.
TPC of Louisiana, New Orleans - If golf courses could
feel pressure, the new TPC of Louisiana would be a mess of nerves.
Not only has the AGT already tapped it as the Trail's marquee
course, the HP Classic of New Orleans moves here next year after
a successful run at nearby English Turn. Oh, and whispers are
that future Super Bowl procurements also hinge on the course's
ability to host A-List corporate outings. Anyone else want to
pile on?
Says here that the TPC should perform gracefully under these expectations, despite some repetitive design features (psst . put a bet on the next hole having a waste bunker down the left side) and a hefty price tag for this part of the world (around $150). There are some good holes (love that wide open numero uno) and some average ones (17 is a let down if only because of the precedent Dye has set for penultimate par 3s). But they are all tied together by a set of silky smooth Mini Verde Bermuda greens that would make bentgrass blush.
3. Tamahka Trails/Paragon Casino, Marksville -- Golfing
and gaming is a combo that is working wonders from Upstate New
York to the Desert Southwest. Far be it from Tunica-Biloxi Tribe
not to get in on the action. Tamahka Trails is a stellar Steve
Smyers design with enough steep faced bunkers and overall brawn
to host a 2001 U.S. Open Qualifier.
For the full effect, roll some puts on Smyers 7,019, par-71 brute then roll the bones back in the Paragon. The Las Vegas style casino houses some 21,000 slot machines and 50 gaming tables. For a casino in the sticks, the action carries on through the night. There are also four restaurants and a deluxe hotel in which to rest your tired, broke body. Counseling not included.
2. Carter Plantation, Springfield - Conspiracy theories abound as to how Toms and local shaper turned designer Glen Hickey could craft a golf course this good 1) with no architectural drawings, and 2) their first time around:
Dye, disguised as a local insurance salesman, made a handful of site visits incognito; Toms sold out LSU football plays to University of Florida alumnus and golf course architect Ron Garl for technical advice - the list goes on and on. Truth is, the unlikely duo just hit one out of the park on their first at bat.
Toms and Hickey can't even fall back on the hackneyed "we just let the land dictate the layout," excuse seeing as how they tossed around over 600,000 cubic yards of earth. The result is a course that challenging at times, and down right interesting at others. There's even a surprising amount of elevation change for a state known to exist primarily below sea level. That thing sticking up in the middle of the 588-yard par-5 15th could even be mistaken for a hill.
1. New Orleans -- No matter how strong the pull of the AGT becomes, New Orleans will always be the state's primary calling card. The music alone is worth a three-day stay - jazz, blues and Zydeco converge in an explosion of sound in and around Bourbon Street. Sampling the various Cajun and Creole eateries is worth another couple of days.
TGG Test Drive Score: 2.5 out of 5.
Sticker Price: $100 - $250 per person, per day, depending on course and accommodations. Does not include travel expenses between stops. Call (877) 646-5352 for package quotes, or log on to audubontrail.com.
Comments: The AGT is a tough sell to the traveling golfer. For one, the courses are spread out hither and yon. The boot shaped state is sneaky long, too, from north to south. And as of this writing, no stop on the Trail contains more than one 18-hole member. As far as Heritage/Ecotourism with a healthy dose of golf, the AGT is hard to beat. The Trail should appeal to road trippers who want to sample the wares of one other worldly state.
Next test drive: Palm Springs golf resort wrap: Hyatt Grand Champions, Marriott Rancho Las Palmas, and PGA West.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
